Maples v. Road Improvement District No. 2

208 S.W. 577, 137 Ark. 177, 1919 Ark. LEXIS 434
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedJanuary 27, 1919
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 208 S.W. 577 (Maples v. Road Improvement District No. 2) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Maples v. Road Improvement District No. 2, 208 S.W. 577, 137 Ark. 177, 1919 Ark. LEXIS 434 (Ark. 1919).

Opinion

HUMPHREYS, J.

Appellants were remonstrants against the creation of and the assessment of benefits for Road Improvement District No. 2 in the county court of Carroll County, Eastern District thereof. The county court declared the district legally created and the benefits properly assessed under Act 338, Acts 1915, known as the “Alexander Eoad Law.” An appeal was prosecuted to the circuit court for the Eastern District of said County and was there heard by C. E. Bennett, special circuit judge, elected and qualified in the manner provided by law. When he took the bench, appellants filed a motion to disqualify him because he was county examiner, appointed by the county judge who heard this case. On hearing, a special finding was made that he was county examiner by appointment when elected special circuit judge. The motion was then denied and exceptions saved and preserved in the motion for new trial, which was incorporated by agreement in the bill of exceptions. The cause proceeded to hearing, and, upon the conclusion of the evidence, appellants withdrew their appeal from the order and judgment of the county court confirming and adjusting the assessment of benefits. The court thereupon held and adjudged that the district was legally formed and organized. Under proper proceedings, the case is here for determination on an agreed bill of exceptions, which, omitting signatures is as follows:

“In the Carroll Circuit Court, Eastern District.
“In the matter of the Eoad Improvement District No. 2, Carroll County, Arkansas.
“Charles Maples, Will Fry, remonstrants and appellants.’
“It is hereby agreed by and between E. Gr. Mitchell, attorney for appellants, Maples, Fry et al. and C. A. Fuller, attorney for Eoad Improvement District No. 2, Carroll County, Arkansas, to save time, expense and to eliminate all matters not involved in this appeal, as follows:
‘ ‘ That the aforesaid Eoad Improvement District was created in the county court of Carroll County and from its legal formation Charles Maples, Will Fry et al. appealed to the circuit court of Carroll County, Eastern District, and it was then tried de novo, and after the introduction of evidence on behalf of the petitioners and district, attorney for the remonstrants or appellants conceded that the district was in all matters legally and properly created in the way, time and manner provided under the ‘Alexander Boad Law’ and the estimates of cost filed in the way, time and manner provided by law, except that said Attorney Mitchell for remonstrants contended that said estimates of costs should have been set forth and shown in the county court records and orders; that the petitions circulated should have shown and had set forth in them the estimates of costs and that the notices published by the clerk in the newspaper calling upon persons to appear in the county court and show cause why the district should not be created, etc., did not contain the estimates of costs.
“Whereupon said attorney for the petitioners and district admitted, which is a fact, that the estimates of costs were not set forth in the county court’s orders and decrees, nor was it set forth nor shown in the petitions circulated and the notices published in the newspapers by the clerk.
“Attorney Mitchell agreeing that the estimates of costs were properly prepared and filed in the county court before the petitions were circulated and said estimates of costs prepared in the way, time and manner provided by law.
“It is therefore agreed that the above and foregoing may constitute a bill of exceptions for appellants, together with the orders and decrees of the county court and the circuit court and copy of estimates of costs; the appellants agreeing that the case should be approved unless their contention to the estimates of costs is correct.”

Appellant presents two questions for determination in the case and propounds them in the following form:

First. Did the fact that the special judge was county examiner disqualify him to sit as special circuit judge?

Second. Is it necessary that estimates of cost of the road be shown on the county court records and orders, in the petition circulated, and in the notices published in .'the newspapers, same in all or any of them?

(1) Appellant insists that the inhibition to the effect that judges of the circuit courts “shall not be allowed any fees or perquisites of office, nor hold any other office of trust or profit under this State or the United States,’’ contained in section 18, article 7 of the Constitution of 1874, applies not only to regular circuit judges, but also to special circuit judges. The clause in the section fixing the compensation to be paid at stated times for the services of the judges referred to, and the clause stating that the compensation shall not be diminished during the time for which they are elected, convince us that the judges mentioned in the section were those elected for a term of years. Especially is this view confirmed when, by reference to the preceding section, wé find that it provides that the judges of the circuit courts shall hold their office for the term of four years; and when we find, by reference to section 21 of the same article, that the authority of special judges shall cease at the close of the term at which they were elected. It is argued by appellant that the • same inhibition should apply to a special circuit judge that applies to a regular circuit judge, because the special judge has to fill the place of the regular judge and possess the same qualifications and exercise the same functions and powers. We think learned counsel are in error in assuming that the qualifications for the two are the same. By reference to section 21 of article 7 of said Constitution, it will be seen that the qualifications for a special judge are that he “shall be learned in the law and a resident of the State.” By reference to section 16 of the same article of the Constitution, it will be seen that the qualifications of a regular circuit judge are much broader. It is true that a special circuit judge exercises the same functions and powers of a regular circuit judge, but it is for a limited time only, and the same reasons for prohibiting a regular circuit judge from receiving fees and perquisites of office/in addition to his salary, or from holding another office of trust during his term, do not exist as to a special judge. The office of the one is in a nature permanent or for a long period of time, and, for that reason, they should be removed from influences resulting from earning money in other capacities, or permitting other things to absorb their time and attention; the office of the other is only temporary and not likely to be interfered with by such influences. Another reason for holding that the inhibition contained in section 18 of said article was not intended to apply to special judges is that the office of a special judge, holding for only a few days, would not interfere, or be incompatible, with the performance of his duties as county examiner. The duties of a county examiner are entirely administrative and the duties of a special circuit judge are judicial. There is no incompatibility between the two offices. The spirit of the Constitution was to prevent two offices being held by the same man, where the duties might conflict.

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Bluebook (online)
208 S.W. 577, 137 Ark. 177, 1919 Ark. LEXIS 434, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/maples-v-road-improvement-district-no-2-ark-1919.